


There and Back Again

by CravenRaven



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Major Character Injury, One Shot, Travel, You know nothing Jon Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-20 17:09:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1518548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CravenRaven/pseuds/CravenRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jon and Sam plan on visiting all kingdoms of Westeros only to find Jon’s not as much of a Northerner as he thought he was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There and Back Again

**Author's Note:**

> Random one shot about traveling. Can be read as JonXSam.

Sam and Jon were looking through catalog after catalog searching for the best deals of hotels, hostels, and inns throughout Westeros. 

“If we go from White Harbor to Gulltown and make our way to King’s Landing by plane. From King’s Landing we could travel on land to the Stormland’s but we’ll have to double back if we want to make it to Dorne. Through Dorne we could take a flight or a boat to the Reach preferably to the Arbor first before we make are way to Old Town. Umm… my mother could get us into Highgarden if you’d like? She's always saying how beautiful it is. We might have to cut our stay in Lannisport though.”

“That would be great Sam. I’d love it.”

“Well from Lannisport we’d have to take a boat towards the Iron Islands. They haven’t constructed an airport on them yet. “

“Yeah and from Harlaw we could take a trip to Seagard and then towards Riverrun. Robb would be surprised when he sees us.”

They both laughed at the thought.

The two had been meticulously planning the extent of their incoming adventure every detail of where they would go and where they would stay needed to be sorted out in advance.

“The Dornish customs are what will really make this trip harder than it needs to be.”

“I’d thought it would be going to the Iron Islands?”

“Well for the isles we really only have to pay the fees and take a cultural awareness test. It shouldn’t be too hard, the paperwork will take time to process but other than that we should be able to spend at least two weeks with a simple tourist visa.”

“Well that’s good to hear, what would we need for Dorne?”

“Let’s see, unless we’re natives, we have to go through a personal screening as well as the standard paperwork. We’d also have to put ourselves through a lottery considering they have a quota for tourists.” Sam answered failing to hide his disappointment.

“An interview’s not going to hurt you Sam, you’ll see.” Sam was always nervous but anyone with eyes could see how harmless he was. _I doubt they’d deny you entry anyway. They would be mad to reject someone as thoughtful and as brilliant as you._

“The fact is Dorne’s always been harder to get into every other kingdom. They’ve always been rather isolated.”  

He knew the history too, they took the longest to integrate into the Westerosi Union. Still they enjoyed an autonomy many of the other kingdoms envied. 

Sam blushed, “They’re also famous for their sexual endeavors and wine which is why they're a popular destination. However one of the reason they have a tourist quota is so their citizens have enough resources for themselves. It's understandable, tourists can be a massive resource drain for their citizens.”  

Dorne was often visualized as a societal paradise both for it's ideas of a more open love and their equal opportunity and health programs access. Those were some of the reasons it was one of the most desirable places to live in Westeros. Not only that but the place was rich in both history and in spices. Often the food there was voted best in Westeros during cooking competitions, that was something they definitely had to try.  

Though the biggest issue in Dorne was the terrain, there weren’t many places to farm and resource management was something heavily controlled by their government. Taxes were high as well and the dry hot weather is not something he was accustomed towards. The resource issues however was something he knew how to identify with, the North was always in a state of obsessive conservation when it came towards winter.

“Do you think we can squeeze it into our trip or should we just scrap it?” Jon asked. 

“Well we can at least try.” Sam answered with his doe-eyed hopeful demeanor.

Jon was grateful he had Sam to come with him. They were entering their last year of university together and as a final farewell they planned to visit all of Westeros. Both would soon enter into their own graduate programs and probably no longer see each other afterwards. Sam would become a Maester at Oldtown while he would start his apprenticeship as a Park Ranger in Thenn. It was going to be hard to seperate, they’d both been dorm mates since freshman year and they immediately took a shine to one another. Sam was perhaps the best friend he’s ever had outside of the Stark Family. He was grateful to have someone as amazing and warmhearted as a companion. It made him believe that choosing to attend Castle Black University was the right choice.

Before he graduated secondary school, his brother begged him to go to Riverrun University with him or stay near home at White Harbor Academy. Jon however choose to attend Castle Black University like his Uncle Benjen had. It was still in the North but it was a 10 hour drive from home. He didn't choose to follow his brother because he felt it was time for him to step out of Robb’s shadow and become his own man. He remembered how sad Robb was that he wouldn't see him anymore, that they would be what felt like a world away from each other. 

“This will be the first time I step out of the North.” He hadn't noticed he'd said it out loud but all the same Sam gave him a big smile and said. “Well then we best make it memorable.”

 

\-------------------

 

Jon wasn’t too sure about asking his father for his birth certificate, _it’s strange that I have never seen it. I've already come this far, I have to go through with asking him._

His father currently wasn’t in the best condition, he’d recently had gotten in an accident and had been hospitalized for nearly a month. The physicians had recently allowed his father leave from the hospital but for now his father was confined to his bed, his left leg having been damaged horribly in a car accident.

He entered his father’s home with his spare key, all of his siblings had one even the ones who were far away. He knocked to make his presence known before entering, it was a way his father could acknowledge his presence without leaving the confines of his room. He made his way to his father's quarters and once inside saw his father with his left leg bound in a cast while he was sprawled across the bed looking fevered. 

“Hello father.”

“Jon, it’s good to see you.”

“The same to you father. I need to ask you something. But first have you taken your medicine? You look feverish.”

“Yes, I’m sorry I can not greet you properly. The medicine gives me a bad case of vertigo and Cat will be back with some ice packs. What would you like to ask me son?”

“Father, I need my birth certificate.”

“Why?”

“Sam and I are going on a trip and I need a copy of my papers.”

His father looked at him knowingly. “You have your passport, shouldn’t that be enough.”

“Well… We are going to visit Dorne.”

His father's eyes dilated for a moment "Oh, I see."

“Well?” _What does he mean by I see?_

“I’m sorry Jon.”

This caught Jon off guard, “Father what are you trying to hide?” _Is he against me going?_

“No, I mean I don’t have them on me. I know you have come a long way but I keep all our papers secured outside of the house.”

“Oh." That was a relief he thought his father was against him going. "That doesn’t change the fact I need them.”

“Jon, at the moment I am not in the best state to get them.” His father replied coldly. 

_Why did I say it like that? Curse Jaime Lannister and his reckless driving! Or else father would be fine and Lannister would stop crying over his hand._

“Is it possible if I go in your stead father?”

Ned looked at him hesitantly, “I suppose, they’re all at the bank in a safety deposit box, I keep the keys here.” 

His father directed him to the dresser besides his bed.

Jon opened the drawer only to find piles of books, he searched between their crevices and found nothing.

“Father the only thing I see in here are books.”

“Look for “The legend of Dawn: the Sword of the Morning.” It’s behind the cover.

Sure enough it was, he carefully unwrapped the front cover and found a key taped to the side of the hardcover below. He peeled it slowly hoping not to damage the material. The key had a number engraved in it. _Must be the box number._  

“Why are you going through all this trouble to protect it? It seems… excessive.”

“Better safe than sorry Jon. It also happens to be Cat’s least favorite book in my collection.”

“Why does that matter?” Jon asked, confused.

“She never looks into it. Even she doesn't know where I hide it.”

“Why are you hiding it from her?"

"Sometimes, she can be prone to bad investments." His eyes looked shamed at the thought. 

"Oh, I see. Thank you father.”

“Oh and Jon, bring it back. I’ll have to find a new place to hide it after this. I hope you and Sam have a safe trip." his father gave him a small smile. "Make sure you bring me some of those miniature oranges from Dorne, I haven’t had one in years.”

“I will father.” Jon smiled before closing the door. 

With that he left towards their father’s bank, key invigorated by the possibility of finally having answers. _This may be the key to learning who my mother was.  I can’t believe he still hasn’t told me._

_________________________________

 

At the bank Jon searched for the deposit box, there were thousands of them but eventually he saw it, grey and indistinguishable from its neighbors.  Jon opened his father’s safety deposit box, in it was all the Stark family’s private records.

Skimming through he found a manila binder with what looked like birth certificates, the first one was Rickon’s. He flipped through them in order to find his own.

He wasn’t sure what to think when he saw it.

For one the color of the paper of his own was different from his siblings. Robb's had been a powder blue (because he was born in the Riverlands) and everyone else's had been white with a grey border, his however was tinted orange. The seals also contrasted, his had a speared sun sigil while the standard Westeros union seal was on everyone else's. 

He choose to ignore whatever inferences he was making and continue reading. _Maybe I'll learn something about my mother?_

**Kingdom of Dorne**

**Certificate of Birth Registration**

Name: Jon                                              Sex:M

Birth Date: 12– 31-283                        Birthplace: Starfall, Dorne

Acknowledged bastard name: ~~Sand~~ Snow

[Circumstance as to surname change: To be raised in the North]

Parents: _________________ and Eddard Stark

Identity No. :  196-53-2769

Weight: 8.8 lbs

Acting Physician: Wylla Summers

 

Great, even his birth certificate failed to indicate who his mother was. _Wait… I’m from Dorne?_


End file.
